The Fairmont San Francisco

California - Hotel Review

The Fairmont San Francisco Hotel Review

First opened in April 1907, The Fairmont San Francisco is both a living landmark in the heart of fashionable Nob Hill, and a testament to the city’s rising — literally — out of the ashes.

The Fairmont San Francisco was supposed to open in 1906, but the San Francisco earthquake and fire quickly put an end to that. Undaunted, The Fairmont San Francisco opened on April 18, 1907, exactly one year and one day after the earthquake, and even now, over 100 years later, it has retained its iconic status as a symbol of the city’s rebirth.

The hotel is no stranger to celebrities. After all, this is the hotel where Tony Bennett first sang I left my heart in San Francisco in 1962, and where the United Nations Charter was drafted in 1945. Dozens of U.S. Presidents have stayed at The Fairmont San Francisco over the last 100 years, as have celebrities and heads of state: everyone from Prince Charles and King Hussein of Jordan to the Dalai Lama, Fred Astaire and Mick Jagger.

Opulent lobby

Tower suite bedroom

The Fairmont San Francisco also underwent a two-year, $85 million restoration in 2001, followed by renovations to the Penthouse Suite in 2009, to return the hotel to its turn-of-the-century opulence; unearthing original marble floors, ornate domes and intricate design work throughout the hotel. In 2014, the hotel completed another $20 million restoration and features two new design schemes to the guest rooms and suites. Today, the hotel boasts 591 luxuriously furnished and decorated guest rooms and suites complete with marble baths and stunning views of the city and the bay.

In June 2010, The Fairmont San Francisco installed four honey beehives to support the dwindling honey bee population. Fairmont guests can enjoy this home-harvested honey at chef jW Foster's Laurel Court Restaurant & Bar. Read more about honey in our Health Benefits of Honey feature.